The discretion inherent in the power of the prosecutor means that, as the Arizona Attorney General, I will devote the resources of that office to prosecuting real criminals who have harmed victims by force or fraud. Relying on my prosecutorial discretion, I vow that no resources will be used for the prosecution of victimless crimes.

It is easy to justify this position, both based on the moral grounds explained above, as well as pure economic and practical grounds. In these difficult economic times, it makes little sense to burden the taxpayers of Arizona and Maricopa County with the expense of prosecuting, trying, and confining those who have harmed no victims. Instead, we must turn our focus on the serious criminals who harm others.

While others have eloquently explained how unjust laws must be resisted, the discretion in the power of the prosecutor’s office means that no laws will be broken or violated — far from it.

I believe that, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Relying on the discretion permitted to the prosecutor, no unjust laws will need to be pressed, nor will anyone need be prosecuted in their name by the office I run.

Mahatma Gandhi said that “An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. ” (Non-violence in Peace and War, 1942-49)

Henry David Thoreau, in his Civil Disobedience and Other Essays stated, “If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.”

Your support will be needed so that my vision of a prosecutor’s office focused on Justice first, the protection and restitution of victims, and the promotion of individual rights and liberty, can become a reality.